{
    "term": "beast",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "an animal, especially one that is large or dangerous, or one that is unusual",
            "labels": "(old-fashioned or formal)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "**wild/savage/ferocious beasts**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "**mythical beasts** such as unicorns and dragons"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Savage beasts once roamed these forests."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The princess came face-to-face with a hideous wild beast."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They found the fossilized skeletons of prehistoric beasts."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Animals"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["ferocious", "ravenous", "savage"],
                "phrases": ["a beast of burden", "a beast of prey"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a person who is cruel and whose behaviour shows a lack of control",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The beast in her wanted to destroy his house."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You filthy beast!"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Somehow I brought out the beast in him."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Local people live in fear of this unknown sex beast."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "animal"
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "an unpleasant person or thing",
            "labels": "(informal, often humorous)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The maths exam was a real beast."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a thing of a particular kind",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "His new guitar is a very expensive beast."
                }
            ],
            "synonyms": "animal"
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/biːst/",
                "audio": "be/beast/beast__gb_3.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/biːst/",
                "audio": "be/beast/beast__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French beste, based on Latin bestia."
}